Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Addresses The Future of ‘Black Adam’ In James Gunn’s DCU
Written by djfrosty on December 21, 2022
Source: Warner Bros. / Warner Bros.
Ever since Warner Bros. tapped James Gunn to run their DCU film division, Gunn and his partner-in-crime, Peter Safran have made it very clear that they’re all about “out with the old and in with the new,” and though we’ve learned Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) and Superman (Henry Cavill) are out the door, Black Adam (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) had been somewhat in limbo.
No more. Yesterday The Rock took to Twitter to inform his millions (and millions!!) of Rock fans that his iteration of Black Adam wouldn’t be included in James Gunn vision of the DC universe, though he didn’t as far as to say that his character wouldn’t be returning to the big screen on his own. In a statement, Johnson confirmed that he met with James Gunn but unfortunately “Black Adam will not be in their first chapter of storytelling. However, DC and Seven Bucks have agreed to continue exploring the most valuable ways Black Adam can be utilized in future DC multiverse chapters.”
Wait, a DC multiverse?! So does that mean that Johnson’s Black Adam can somehow once again cross paths with Cavill’s Superman or Gadot’s Wonder Woman? We don’t know but from the looks of things, The Rock isn’t too upset with Gunn’s decision and is hoping that things turn out for the best. He continued:
“James and I have known each other for years and have always rooted for each other to succeed. It’s no different now, and I will always root for DC (and Marvel) to win and WIN BIG. You guys know me, and I have very thick skin—and you can always count on me to be direct with my words. These decisions made by James and DC leadership represent their vision of DCU through their creative lens.”
Notice how he threw Marvel in the mix. Could that be a wink and a nod at DC’s biggest (and only) competitor? Just sayin.’
The post comes after rumors began circulating that Johnson’s social media accounts had unfollowed both Warner Bros. and Black Adam’s accounts, which he claimed weren’t true at all. Though Black Adam wasn’t exactly the commercial or critical success that Warner Bros. would’ve liked, the film was one of the better DCU films to drop in quite some time, though that’s not saying much. Couple that with talk that the higher-ups at Warner Bros. were upset with The Rock for hyping up of Henry Cavill’s return as Superman to a rabid fanbase that forced them to fund and release the Snyder Cut to Justice League, and it seemed like that relationship was bound to break.
As to where Black Adam goes from here is anyone’s guess. Many assumed that he’d eventually take on Zachary Levi’s Shazam in the third installment to that film franchise, but no one knows if Shazam! will even survive James Gunn’s DCU reboot. Truth be told, we don’t really care if it does or doesn’t. No shots.
What do y’all think of The Rock’s statement on Black Adam‘s future? Let us know in the comments section below.